Power Principles for Courageous Living
My child I spent time teaching My Disciples early in ministry the things that matter most: ‘values’. I knew as a leader My first task was to provide a set values for them to live by and you too can live by them today. (Matthew 5-7) The following is first five principles you can apply to your life to live a blessed and happy life:
1. Do the right things for the right reasons
“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do-tooting your own horn or calling attention to your acts of charity. They have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-8 and 16-18)
2. Pray and ask for Me, My plans for You.
But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:7-13 NLT)
3. Relationships will make or break you.
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15 NLT)
4. Prioritize eternal things, not temporal things.
“When you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled, so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18 NLT)
5.Don’t sweat the small stuff.
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “Don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ”So, don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:25-31, 34 NLT)
Apply these five principles to your life and teach them to your children and your children’s children throughout all generations to live the blessed life!
